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Duke Nukem Forever the victim of high expectations, says Gearbox

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford talks about how years of anticipation set expectations too high for Duke Nukem Forever, but he's still proud of putting out the product.

Duke Nukem Forever received a pretty icy critical reception, including in our own review, but that doesn't bring down Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. The passionate developer says he's still very proud of putting out the game, and that its poor response was the product of high expectations.

"There are a lot of people who were perfectly gratified by the game," Pitchford told The Verge, "and there were other people, because of the development effort or because of the way it’s been upsold throughout the years, there is just no possible way to meet or exceed such expectations."

Despite the critical reception, he says the studio is extremely proud of the project -- though it sounds like his pride is mostly in finally bringing it to fruition. "It's like, it is a miracle. The game exists and we get to see that content with what those guys have been working on for so long. And I love the game, I think it is hilarious frankly."

Looking to the future, Pitchford also talked about how working on Aliens: Colonial Marines feels when so many developers have borrowed from the franchise. "You can feel the influence, you can feel the inspiration, it is not just subtle, it is in your face to the point where the sergeant from Halo is the sergeant from Aliens. It is like the same exact character trope and all the designs of the dropships and stuff, it is all there."

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be shown at PAX East, starting on April 6 in Boston.

Steve Watts

Editor-In-Chief

Steve Watts' youthful memories are are a blur of pixels, princesses, castles, and Mega Busters. After writing about games as a pastime for years, he got his first shot at a paid gig at 1UP. He's freelanced for several sites since then, and found a friendly home at Shacknews. His editorial duties include news, reviews, features, and lunatic ravings. He lives in the Baltimore-Washington area with his shockingly understanding wife.